President Truong Tan Sang has paid a working visit to the southern central coastal province of Ninh Thuan, during which he urged the locality to address drought and minimise the extreme weather effects.

He suggested Ninh Thuan seek highly-adaptable plants and animals and send officials to other countries with similar natural conditions and high technology to study their experience and call for investments.

Lauding efforts of the province in maintaining socio-political stability, he valued Ninh Thuan’s 12.4 percent GDP growth and 26.8 million VND (1,250 USD) GDP per capita, narrowing the development gap in other localities in the region and across the country.

Despite being hit with severe drought, Ninh Thuan managed to ensure agricultural production and maintain employment for 16,000 labourers, reducing the rate of impoverished households and fulfilling an average of 9 new-style rural area criteria, he noted.

The President pointed to modest results in building fishing vessels and upgrading port systems as stipulated in Decree 67 on seafood development policies.

He asked ministries and sectors, especially banking and agricultural sectors, to work closely with Ninh Thuan to manage difficulties and support fishermen in applying advanced technology for effective operations at sea.

He also urged Ninh Thuan to simplify its administrative procedures to attract investments, boosting business and fuelling economic growth, he said.

During his visit from March 17-18, President Truong Tan Sang also inspected the Song Trau reservoir, built in 2005 and capable of holding 31.5 million cubic meters of water and irrigating 3,000 hectares of farm area in Thuan Bac and Ninh Hai districts.

The reservoir’s water levels currently only reach 13.7 percent of its designed capacity.

While visiting fishermen at the Ninh Chu port in Ninh Hai district, the State leader considered the fishermen’s requests for easier access to capital for building large fishing vessels and development of the port.

He also visited Air Force Regiment 937, established in 1975 and recorded various victories during the Ho Chi Minh campaign.-VNA